Who's right, My heart or my mind?
by Apex Soldier
Summary: When Kyuubi's had enough, he confronts Naruto. Now, Naruto's having a hard time choosing... His heart or his mind... Sakura... Or Hinata? One-shot. Surprise inside, like cereal but better, promise!
1. Naruto!

**YO! Haha i know, i know, i should probably should be working on Double life, but i couldn't help it...  
Look, i was listening to music one day during school and this story just came to me outta no where... So to get ride of it, I wrote it...  
Hope you like it... a lot of fluff in there, just letting you know. By the way, Naruto may be a bit OOC... just a little, kinda hard to keep them in character when its sometimes better to be a bit OOC... Enjoy!  
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**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto Damn it!  
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**Who's right? My heart or my mind?**

It was a perfect day for a date, in Naruto's opinion. It was breezy; the sunny was behind some clouds, so it wasn't too bright or hot. The only clouds in the sky were the ones blocking the sun's heat. Naruto sat on a branch in a tree he and his date decided to stop by. They had just came from eating ramen from Ichiraku's and wanted to spend some time alone. Across from them, a slow flowing river was there surrounded by a very healthy looking field of grass.

He looked down at his date as she looked up at him, bright blue eyes locking with jade ones. Sakura smiled at him and then laid her head on his shoulder, her back was turned to him and lying against his chest. He let out a peaceful sigh as he wrapped his arms around her. This was it, the best day of his life. Or so he thought. If this was the best day, then why did his heart reject the feeling? Why did his stomach feel unease, like it was telling him it wasn't the best day? He looked down at her again and said her name. "Sakura…"

"Hmm?" she replied.

"Today has been the best day of my life, believe it!" She giggled, he continued. "Sakura… Well, I have to tell you something…" She tilted her head and let him go on. "I… I want to tell you that I think I…" He never got to finish because suddenly, he was tackled by a person. He couldn't see who he or she was. They both landed in the river. Well Naruto anyways, the attacker disappeared before he/she fell in. When he resurfaced and saw who attacked him, he couldn't believe it.

"IDIOT!" Hinata was standing in the shore, arms crossed over her chest, face red from anger. Naruto's heart broke into pieces when he saw her anger directed at him. Then he realized something, Hinata never, ever got mad, or at least to this extent. This was not the Hinata Naruto knew, something must've happened to her. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"H-Hinata?" That was all he could stutter in his state of shock. The Hinata in front of him was not the real one, he knew it. How? He wasn't sure, but he was sure that this Hinata was an imposter. "You… You're not Hinata!" He yelled at the imposter.

"Just as stupid as ever, kit." Naruto's eyes widened. _'Kit?'_ He thought. "Ah. It seems that you're slow processing organ you call a brain finally figured it out." The ancient fox said, still in the form of Hinata, still using her voice. The difference was that her voice had sarcasm and hatred, things Hinata's normal voice didn't have. This realization sent a shiver down his spine.

"GET OUT OF HINATA-CHAN'S BODY, YOU STUPID FOX!" Seeing Kyuubi in Hinata's body boiled his blood, as for the reason, he decided to figure out later. "AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE REAL WORLD?" Kyuubi/Hinata smirked and chuckled. It kept going until Kyuubi/Hinata fell on the floor laughing. Naruto blushed from embarrassment and got out the water to stand over him/her. "What's so funny?" He said more relaxed but still mad.

"That… That you think I'm in the… the real world." He/she said in between laughs. When He/she calmed down and stood, the perfect place for a date was replaced with the old-looking sewer where Naruto knew was where Kyuubi was kept. He looked up at him from outside the bars that kept the Kyuubi imprisoned. There was normal looking Kyuubi, out of Hinata's form. "So, idiot, what is it you want now? My chakra? My fur for the winter?" Kyuubi said with an evil smile. Naruto just snorted at his sarcastic questions.

"You know what I want. Tell me why you attacked me on my date with Sakura?" He said seriously. Kyuubi chuckled.

"What happened to Sakura-chan?" Naruto was starting to lose his patience.

"That's not the point, why bother me?"

Kyuubi sighed. "Because I was bored." He saw Naruto getting angry with his excuses and tactics to delay the subject, so he continued. "Because you're a fool. Worse than a fool, a fool who doesn't even know himself. An idiot."

"What do you mean? I know myself very well." He retorted.

"Oh really? So then why didn't you feel completely happy on this supposed date?" He asked.

"Because of the ramen."

Kyuubi let out an angry sigh, as if he asked Naruto what 2+2 was and Naruto got it wrong. "It was a dream; you didn't really eat any of it, idiot."

"Then I was hungry."

"WHY ARE YOU MAKING EXCUSES? CAN'T YOU TELL THAT YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE ON A DATE WITH HER?" Naruto stayed quiet as he looked at the water on the ground, as if it was most interesting thing he has ever seen. Kyuubi took a deep breathe and exhaled. "Look kit, as much as I hate to interfere…"

"Then why are you?" Kyuubi ignored him as he continued. "…I can't let you keep thinking you're in love with the pink haired girl. As much as you think you do, you don't." Naruto looked shocked but recomposed himself.

"Yeah, I do."

"No, you don't. Don't believe me? I really don't think I can change your mind, at least not by telling you your mistakes. So… I want you to think about these questions and answer them honestly: Why do you honestly think you're stomach felt it was wrong being on your supposed date with Sakura? Why did you honestly get so angry when I chose to take Hinata-chan's form? Like you wanted to kill me with a dull kunai, stabbing me over and over again? And most importantly, why did you're heart break when you saw Hinata, or actually me in the form of Hinata, angry at you? You're heart never broke when Sakura got angry at you, not when she punched or kicked you. So why did it brake when Hinata was angry at you?"

"I don't…" He began but Kyuubi interrupted him… "No… don't answer, not yet…" And then Kyuubi pretty much kick Naruto out of his own mind.

(*.*.*.*)

Naruto awoke with a gasp. It seemed so real, the dream anyways. He sat up on his bed and looked at the time; it was six thirty-two in the afternoon. _'Man, that last mission was killer. I didn't think it took a lot of chakra to stop those missing-nins.'_

Naruto was 16 years old. It has been two months since coming back from his two and a half year training with Jiraiya. Everyone grew up in his eyes. Sakura, Kiba, Choji, Ino, Shikamaru, Lee, Tenten, Neji, Shino… Even Hinata. For some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about how much she's grown. How different she was. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She still blushed and fainted when he was around, which he thought was odd, but cute… _'Wait, cute?'_ Naruto stared into the distance, but shook the thought out. And got up and got ready for the day.

He left his house at about seven to eat lunch, or a late one, wearing his trademark orange and black jacket and pants with his black ninja shoes. His Leaf head band tied proudly on his forehead. Those same whisker marks, blue eyes filled with happiness and determination, and trademark smile still remained on his face. Regardless of all the things he's done over the last some what three years.

He saw Ichiraku's just around the corner. He smiled and broke into a run. Then he saw someone standing just outside of it. His heart skipped beats as he figured out who that someone was. Hinata Hyuga stood uncomfortably outside of Ichiraku's, as if looking or waiting for someone. He got a little angry at the thought of Hinata waiting for some boy. He growled silently then stopped his run. _'Whoa, where did that come from?_' He shook his head and walked the rest of the way there. When he was a step away from the entranced, he faced Hinata.

"Hey Hinata-chan!"She looked surprise at him. He ignored it and continued. "Wanna get ramen with me?"

"Uhm…" His heart started beeping faster as he waited for her answer. _'Why am I so nervous? It's not like I've been nervous when I asked Sakura the same question.'_ "I-I guess. Yes, I-I'd love to." His heart pumped faster at her answer, but he still smiled. Even though his heart felt like it was going to explode, he felt great, his heart mostly.

"Great…" He and Hinata entered the ramen bar. They sat down next to each other. Hinata, as always fidgeting in her seat, same blush on her face and playing with her fingers, sat on Naruto's right while he, as normal, was oblivious to her nervousness.

"Hey Naruto! What would you and your lady friend like?" The man Techi, the owner, asked.

She looked up at him, and then at her fingers. "I-I'll have o-one chicken ramen."

"I have 5 beef, 3 pork and…" He looked at Hinata as he stopped. He didn't want to be a pig in front of Hinata for some reason. "Actually, just give me a chicken too." He chuckled sheepishly and lied, "I'm not that hungry as usual" Techi was surprised, but didn't show it. Naruto hadn't completely lied. Though he was hungry, his stomach just rejected the idea of over eating ramen in front of Hinata. His attention turned to his stomach. In his dream, Sakura and him were in the same position he and Hinata were in at the moment. The only difference was that the feeling he felt in his stomach felt… felt as if this was right.

Then he remembered the words Kyuubi told him. His voice replaying the same thing over and over. _'I really don't think I can change your mind, at least not by telling you your mistakes. So… I want you to think about these questions and answer them honestly: Why do you honestly think you're stomach felt it was wrong being on your supposed date with Sakura?'_…

"N-Naruto-kun?" He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his name being called out. "Naruto-kun, a-are you ok?" He looked at her and saw the concern in her eyes.

"Huh?"

"You're r-ramen is getting c-cold." She told him. He looked down and saw that his ramen was indeed getting cold, but was still warm.

"Oh," he laughed sheepishly, "Didn't realize that it was there." He saw Hinata's shocked expression. He realized what he said and laughed. He was really off today. "Thanks for telling me, Hinata-chan!" Then he grabbed some chopsticks and started eating. The thing that gave everyone a surprised look on their faces wasn't about what Naruto said, it was about what he was doing. He, Naruto Uzumaki, was eating ramen at a normal pace. When he finished, he turned to Hinata. "Did you eat well Hinata-chan?"

Hinata could only nod dumbly. Hinata has known Naruto all her life, and never in her life had she seen him eat ramen normally or speak very mannerly.

"How about we go walking Hinata-chan, just you and me?" She nodded dumbly again and was dragged out of the ramen bar after Naruto paid for her and his ramen. When they were from hearing distance, Techi spoke to his daughter.

"That was very odd of Naruto. He never, ever ate only one ramen, not when he could afford more." His daughter nodded and giggled.

"That Hinata has a very strong influence on him." Techi nodded and they both returned to work.

After ten minutes of walking and talking around the park, the sun was minutes from setting and they ended up in some random clearing. Hinata was awed by it's beauty. "This place is so natural, so beautiful." Naruto could only watch in astonishment. The clearing looked exactly like the one in his dream, down to the last detail. At that moment, he remembered Kyuubi's words again, looking at the same spot he stood and anger suddenly rising. _'Why did you honestly get so angry when I chose to take Hinata-chan form? Like you wanted to kill me with a dull kunai, stabbing me over and over again?'_…

Naruto calmed down as he saw Hinata go near the river. He was struck by the awe-inspiring image in front of him. Hinata was sitting near the river, letting her feet soak in the water. Her long, dark blue hair reached up to her mid-back and her pale, soft-looking face held a smile, one he's never seen on her. An honest smile. Her eyes sparkled as she stared into the glistening river. And even though she wore that jacket, he could see her body relax under the nice feeling of the river's water rushing by her feet. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. Whether or not the sun was setting, he wouldn't have thought any different. It just enhanced her beauty.

"Beautiful…" Hinata looked up at him, her stutter no where to be found.

"Did you say something Naruto-kun?" Though that cute blush was still there. Naruto panicked, he didn't mean for it to be that loud.

"N-No…"

"Oh." He then moved to sit next to her and let his feet fell the water, after taking off his shoes. _'It's almost like my dream date with Sakura. Almost, except this… this is better… Do I honestly like Sakura?'_ He thought passively. He ignored it, saving that for another time and then talked to Hinata. It was already nine before Naruto and Hinata knew it.

"I-I think I should be h-heading home. Father will probably worry if I-I'm out too l-late." Naruto nodded and walked her back home. When they reached the front gate to her home, she turned to him. "Thanks for the ramen Naruto-kun." She said with a smile that melted his heart.

"Anytime Hinata-chan!" Then, she did something he never expected her to do. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. She giggled at his shocked face.

"Goodnight Naruto-kun." She walked up to her house and closed the door as she entered her house. Naruto stood there holding his right cheek, blushing. He then smiled and headed home.

(*.*.*.*)

On his way though, he spotted Sakura walking by. He stopped and waved at her. "Hey Sakura-chan." But she didn't seem very happy to him, in fact, she looked pissed.

"'Hey Sakura-chan?' Is that all you're going to say?" He was shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! I say you on a date with Hinata!" It took him a while to register what she had said.

"What? I wasn't…"

"Stop Naruto. I saw how happy you were when you hung out with her. It's obvious!" He was about to say something but she interrupted again. "You're gonna have to choose: Me or Hinata?" She stormed away and left a bewildered Naruto in her dust. He stayed in the same position Sakura had left him for about ten minutes, give or take. Another of Kyuubi's questions played in his head. _'…And most importantly, why did you're heart break when you saw Hinata, or actually me in the form of Hinata, angry at you? You're heart never broke when Sakura got angry at you, not when she punched or kicked you.'_… Then he decided what he was going to do. Now all he had to do was decide who to pick.

For two hours Naruto laid on his bed, thinking about what was going on. Sakura or Hinata? Every other thought was ignored and the same question remained unanswered.

'_My mind thinks Sakura is the better choice. But… My heart… says otherwise. Does my mind really think Sakura is the better choice? I mean, sure Sakura is pretty and everything, but Hinata… She's beautiful.'_ He stood up to walk out when he stopped. _'My mind, does it really know what's best for me? Or is my heart the right choice? Do I go with my intellect? Or my instinct?"_ Naruto finally decided. "I have to let Sakura know." He grabbed a pen and two pieces of paper. He wrote something on both of them and left his house in a hurry, letting his pen fall to the ground with a soft thump.

Naruto sat on one of the wooden logs of his old teams training ground, thinking again about Sakura's ultimatum. _'I hope I made the right choice."_ He heard rustling and then saw someone jump from one of the trees.

"Naruto-kun." Sakura said as she stepped into the moon light. He gave her a sad smile.

"Hey." Sakura sighed.

"Look Naruto-kun, I know what you're gonna say…" Naruto stopped her as he stepped closer to her and gave her a hug. Her eyes widened for a moment. "Naruto-kun."

(*.*.*.*)

Hinata sat in the same spot she was in earlier when she was with Naruto. Small ripples could be seen in the water, muffled breathing could be heard coming from the clearing. She heard some rustling coming from the trees behind her but it seemed like she didn't care because she didn't turn to see who it was.

"Hinata-chan?" The person had a deep voice, so she knew he was a guy and that it also sounded familiar, though she didn't care. The man stepped closer and saw her crying. "Hinata-chan, why are you sitting here crying?"

She sniffed, still not caring who this person was, answered. "I do this every night. I came here tonight because I just recently found it."

The mysterious man only looked with sadness in his eyes. "Why?" he said with a softer voice.

"Because… I am not loved." The mysterious man gasped.

"Why not, you're a beautiful lady. Hard to believe you're not loved. What about you're family?" She let a sad smile come to her lips.

"They do love me, though they aren't the reason why I cry every night."

"So who is it that doesn't love you?" The man said, curiosity in his voice

"A special boy." He continued his barrage of questions, trying very hard to control his anger. _'When I find out who he is I'm going to beat him down for making her crying every night!'_

"What's so special about this boy?"

"He's sweet and also very caring. He lives to protect his friends and always thinks of them before himself. He's so nice for someone with a past like his. He's very strong and very determined. He's what inspires me to be the best I can be."

"So why does he make you cry?" Hinata stayed quiet, clearly not wanting to explain, so he spoke again. "I have a similar problem." He paused to see if she was listening. Though he wasn't sure if she was, he continued anyways. "You see, I have this problem with this girl. She's a kind of girl you find only once in your life." He paused. Hinata, suddenly interested in the stranger's tale, looked up and gasped. He only smirked as he kept going. "This girl… is the girl I like… no love. She is a wonderful girl, one I never thought existed. Through my life, I've never seen a girl as beautiful as her before. She's the girl I want to be by my side at all times, even as I die. I wish I would've told her how much I love her sooner because now I know what I missed out. I now understand that I truly and deeply love her." Light blue orbs lock with lavender moons as the stranger looked down.

"Stop it Naruto." Hinata said as she looked away. To Naruto, it felt weird her calling him Naruto without the '-kun' after it. Naruto then saw that she was shaking, not from the cold, midnight air, but because she was crying. "Please."

"What do you mean Hinata-chan?" She looked up at him and straight in his eye. The last question Kyuubi finally ran through Naruto's mind. _'…So why did it brake when Hinata was angry at you?'_ And again, he felt his heart shatter. Hinata's eyes held sadness and rage in them.

"Don't! I'm tired of getting my heart broken every time you talk about liking or loving some other girl. Please leave me alone." She stood and ran. But she didn't go far because Naruto came from no where and wrapped her in his arms. When she found out who stopped her she struggled in his grasp. "Let me go!"

"NO!"

"Why not!?" She was too busy struggling that she didn't see him lean in and kiss her. She stopped struggling when she felt his lips. He felt as if he died and was in a ramen-filled heaven. Her soft, luscious lips felt so good to him. When they parted, he answered her.

"Because I love you." She looked up at him, puzzled. Suddenly, the bold Hinata who got angry and yelled at Naruto returned to the shy girl and blushed. Oh, how Naruto missed that blush.

"W-What?"

"I love you, Hinata-chan. I just wish I would've realized that earlier."

In uncertainty she asked, "D-Do… Do you mean it?"

"Yes, I do. I really, truly and deeply love you, Hinata-chan." He leaned in again and gave her a passionate kiss. This time, she kissed back. _'It's official,'_ he thought, _'This is the best day of my life.'_

"I love you too Naruto-kun. Ever since we were in the academy." She said after they parted. He was shocked for a second before he hugged her tighter. Then, out of no where, he laughed. Confused, Hinata looked at him questioningly. He saw her and explained.

"I sent a shadow clone to Sakura earlier to tell something. You see, after I dropped you home, I saw Sakura. When I said hi to her, she blew up at me, saying that she saw us on our little date earlier and I had to choose between you and her. As you can see, I chose you." Hinata let everything he just said register, blushing at the word date.

"Wait, so why did you laugh?"

He laughed again. "Because she told me I made the right choice and told me all about your little crush on me since the academy, seconds after you told me." She smiled at him as he smiled at her. "Hey, let's sit up there." He pointed to a tree branch as he spoke. Hinata nodded and followed Naruto to the tree. When they reached the branch, Naruto put Hinata on his lap and she laid her back on his chest and her head on his shoulder. _'Just like I dreamed, but better. No weird feeling in my stomach, no rejection coming from my heart. Nothing but sweet and utter bliss.'_ They laid there for hours, not caring of the time or place, just that they had each other. Naruto yawned, "Ne Hinata-chan…" He stopped so as not to wake a sleeping Hinata. She looked even more beautiful in the moon light. He marveled at her beauty before gently lifting her up and carrying her up bridal style and taking her home.

In the distance, Sakura saw them head to Hinata's house, she still had the note Naruto wrote her saying 'Meet me at our old training ground, I made my choice.' She smiled as she saw them leave. "The dobe finally made a smart choice?" Sakura gasped as she heard that familiar voice. She turned around as saw Sasuke. "Look Sakura, before you say anything, I just want to that I'm sorry for leaving."

"And why should I accept you're apology?" Her eyes widened when she suddenly felt Sasuke's lips connect with hers. She melted in his embrace. When they parted, he continued talking.

"Because I love you. I hate to say it, but it took me as long as it took the dobe to realize what was missing in our life. That special someone." He kissed her again, but soon parted. "Do you believe me?"

"I… I do…" She hugged him as he hugged her back. "But aren't you still on the run? A missing-nin?" He shook his head.

"No, I talked to Tsunade earlier. Even though I'm in parole and am probably gonna be followed by ANBU everyday until the parole finishes, I'm not classified as a missing-nin." Her smiled brightened and she kissed him. Both kissing until they need air. He then lifted her up and carried her bridal style. She blushed.

"W-What are you doing?" For the first time in ages, she saw his smile again.

"I'm not letting the dobe out do me." And then he disappeared in thin air, ANBU knowing where he's headed.

(*.*.*.*)

Hinata woke up very cheerful the following morning. She had the best dream she's ever had last night. Then she frowned. She realized it was only a dream. She proceeded to stretch her arms and saw something on her night stand. She reached over to it. It was a note! She opened it up and read.

'_Good morning Hinata-chan! _

_Sorry couldn't be there to tell you good morning, but I had to go on a mission early._

_Anyways, just wanted to ask if you wanted to go on a date with me when I come back._

_I should be back by six, so how does seven sound?'_

_-I Love you, Naruto…_

Hinata rejoiced, realizing that it wasn't a dream, it really happened. She got up and took a shower, got dressed and did what she usually did in the morning. By six pm, Naruto could be seen walking into the village. _'I hope she said yes_' That's what he thought the whole day. Then, as quickly as he entered the village, he was tackled out of the village. Dust was flying around Naruto's landing. _'Ouch. What…?'_ When he looked down and smiled.

"Yes Naruto-kun, I'd love to go on a date with you!" He saw Hinata hugging him as they both lay on the floor. About a second later, the whole village could hear a loud yell coming from the village's gate.

"YES! SHE SAID YES!"

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**So was it good? Did ya like it? Review please to let me know... Flames too**


	2. Hinata! Plus More!

**Yo! Here it is! Hinata's point of view of Who's Right? My Heart or My Mind…  
It seems that some people thought the first chapter didn't end so well…  
Usually, I wouldn't really have a second thought about it but I guess I just thought it didn't either…  
So here it is… Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!**

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**Hinata's Point of View…**

Hinata's morning was a terrible way to start a day. First, she accidently fell off her bed when her alarm went off. When she got up, she noticed that she had over slept. How she didn't hear her alarm go off, she'll never know. It was nine in the morning and she had promised her teammates that she was going to train with them that morning. She quickly ran to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Hinata was rushing to get ready, brushing her teeth as she put on her clothes. In record time, she got up, ready and out of the house in ten minutes.

She ran to the training grounds as fast as her legs would take her. Making a sharp turn, she accidently bumped into Sakura. They both fell down and were feeling the effects gravity had over them. Hinata hurriedly got up and also helped Sakura up.

"S-Sorry Sakura, I-I'm just in a hurry. I h-hope you're not too m-mad." Sakura brushed dust out of her outfit and gave Hinata a smile.

"No problem Hinata. I was kind of in a hurry myself. I'm sorry I can't stay and chat but Lady Tsunade's got me working all morning. See ya later." Sakura ran off in the opposite direction and Hinata continued to walk towards the training grounds. _(Why can't I be as confident as Sakura? Maybe if I was as confident, maybe Naruto-kun would finally notice me.)_ Hinata sighed as realization finally hit her. _(But I doubt I could be as confident. Not enough to get Naruto-kun to notice me.) _Wanting to be positive, she gave herself a mini-pep talk. _(Well, if I got to be someone else just to get Naruto-kun's attention, then maybe he isn't right for me. Uhm… Maybe that's going too far, but I'm still not going to be like Sakura just to get Naruto's attention. I'll just find some other way to get him to acknowledge me.)_ Happy with the pep talk, she continued her walk.

When she got there, Kiba was petting Akamaru, Shino was inspecting some bug, and Kurenai was looking out for her. When she was spotted, Hinata smiled shyly and apologized for being late.

"I'm s-sorry for b-being late b- but my a-alarm wouldn't w-work this m-morning." Kurenai looked at Hinata a second longer before speaking.

"Just don't let it happen again. Now, since there are no missions for us today…"

"Whoo hoo!" That earned Kiba a glare from Kurenai. But that was all that was needed to silence him.

"As I was saying, since there are no missions, we'll be sparring with each other. Kiba, you and I will spar first while Shino and Hinata spar with each other. Any questions? No? Ok then, let's start." Team 8 spent about three hours sparring with each other. When it was over, everyone was exhausted and it was noon. "Good work everyone. I expect great things from this team. Now go rest, tomorrow we will go back to doing mission." Kurenai left with a 'poof' and Shino was already going home. Kiba, though, went up to Hinata. Hinata was really tired and really didn't want to talk to anyone. But being the nice, sweet girl that she was, she didn't want to be rude and tell Kiba to leave her alone.

"That was some training, huh Hinata?" Hinata nodded, still trying to regain her strength. "Yeah. Hey, so I was wondering if you're doing anything later?" Hinata was not up for doing anything that day. She just wanted to go home and relax. But she wondered why Kiba would ask her something like that. She shook her head to tell him no. He grinned and started to walk away. "Ok then, I'll catch you later."

_(That was odd. Why would he just ask me if I was doing anything later and then just walk off?)_ Deciding it as nothing, she got up and headed home. When she got there, Neji was in the back sparring with her father. She went up to them to say hello but she never got the chance since they were too concentrated on their spar. Hinata thought it would be useless to interrupt them so she headed up to her room to take another shower. When she got out, she took a small nap.

(*.*.*.*)

Hinata was currently in the middle of a mission. Her team was assigned to get rid of some thieves in a small town near the Hidden Leaf. She was fighting off two thieves at a time. Kiba and Akamaru were safely evacuating the town's people with Kurenai while she and Shino were fighting off the thieves. So far, it wasn't so difficult, just a bunch of normal thieves, nothing special. But then one thief got the upper hand and knock Hinata off her feet. Seeing this as an opening, the thief took out his knife and ran to Hinata. She didn't have enough time to dodge it, so she closed her eyes and waited for the pain. But nothing happened; she didn't feel the knife in her or anything. She opened her eyes to see what happened and saw someone in an orange jumpsuit and blonde hair standing protectively in front of her. The guy that had the knife was next to him, unconscious.

"Naruto-kun." Naruto turned to look at her and gave her his trademark smile. She could feel a blush appear on her face. The other thieves were angry that some kid came out of no where and knocked one of there comrades out like it was nothing.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan; I won't let anything hurt you. By the way, that blush makes you look cute." Her blush deepened as he turned back to the rest of the thieves. "So who else wants to try and hurt my Hinata-chan!?" He said, sounding dead serious. Two thieves looked at him and sneered. They ran up to him as fast as they could. Naruto only smirked and disappeared. The two thieves stopped and looked around for him. Then eight hands appeared from the ground and grabbed hold of the thieves' legs. Surprised, they struggled to break free, unknowing that Naruto was still around readying his attack. Naruto then appeared again with a rasengan in each hand, running full speed at the thieves. With a yell, he jabbed the two rasengans at the thieves. "RASENGAN!" As it connected, the two thieves were sent spinning back to the other thieves, taking out half of them in the process. Naruto stood up straight and his eyes turned red and had to slits as pupils. "Anyone else?" All the thieves still conscious got up and ran away, leaving the unconscious group at the mercy of Naruto.

_(I can't believe it. He took them out in less time than I did. Naruto-kun never ceases to amazing me.)_ Hinata heard Naruto sigh as he went straight to her.

"You're not hurt are you Hinata-chan?" Hinata was still speechless from his display of power, so she just shook her head. "That's good because I don't know what I would've done if you were." Hinata tilted her head and gave him a confused look. Naruto's smile just widened at her expression. "Man, you're so cute when you're confused, dattebayo!" Hinata blushed and looked down. "Hinata, listen to me. I have something important to tell you."

"W-What is it N-Naruto-kun?"

"Well... I want to tell you that I love…"

**_Knock._**

**_Knock._**

**_Knock._**

(*.*.*.*)

Hinata woke up when she heard someone knocking. She let a frustrated sigh escape her lips when she realized it was only a dream. She got up and opened her bedroom door and saw Neji standing in front of her with a piece of paper in his hands.

"This was in the front door and it's addressed to you Hinata." He handed the paper to her and bowed. "I'll see you later Hinata." Neji walked down the hall into his room. Hinata closed her bedroom door and sat down on her bed. She opened the piece of paper, it read:

_Hey Hinata,_

_Meet me at Ichiraku's right now, no questions asked._

_Thanks, Kiba._

Hinata looked at the time and saw that it was ten minutes to seven. Having nothing better to do, she got ready and headed out to Ichiraku's. When she got there, she didn't see Kiba anywhere. She decided to wait for him, seeing as she had nothing better to do. Though she didn't wait long as she heard some one say,

"Hey Hinata-chan!"She looked up and saw Naruto smiling at her. She felt herself getting light headed. _(No! Not now. Not while Naruto's here.)_ "Wanna get ramen with me?"

"Uhm…" _(Uhm? He finally asks me to join him for some ramen and I say uhm? I mean maybe I should tell him I'm waiting for Kiba. He did ask me to meet him here.)_ After a few seconds, she decided to go with Naruto, seeing as this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and all. "I-I guess. Yes, I-I'd love to." She saw his face light up at her answer and wondered why.

"Great…" He said as Hinata entered the ramen bar with him. They sat down next to each other. Hinata, as always fidgeting in her seat, same blush on her face and playing with her fingers, sat on Naruto's right while he, as usual, was oblivious to her nervousness. She was so nervous and excited about eating ramen with Naruto that she barely heard the owner, Teuchi talk.

"Hey Naruto! What would you and your lady friend like?" Teuchi asked

She looked up at him, and then at her fingers. "I-I'll have o-one chicken ramen." _(I hate my stuttering!)_

"I have 5 beef, 3 pork and…" Hinata heard Naruto stop. She wondered why he stopped. She looked up at him and saw that he was looking at her. She blushed and looked back down while playing with her fingers. _(Was he just looking at me?)_ She was brought out her thoughts by what he said next. "Actually, just give me a chicken too." He chuckled sheepishly and Hinata looked at him, surprised. "I'm not as hungry as usual" Teuchi was also surprised, but didn't show it. Hinata on the other hand, left her mouth agape. She couldn't believe he didn't order more ramen. She has seen him eat about ten more ramen just as appetizers.

She waited patiently for her ramen as she sat next to Naruto. She looked at him and saw a distant look in his eyes. _(I wonder what he's thinking about.)_

"Two chicken ramen!" Hinata saw Teuchi put both bowls down on the counter, one in front of her and the other in front of Naruto, though he didn't make a move for the chopsticks. Hinata grabbed one for her and got another one for Naruto. She was getting a little worried; he still didn't look like he was going to eat his ramen.

"N-Naruto-kun?" That seemed to have brought Naruto out of his thoughts. "Naruto-kun, a-are you ok?" He looked at her and saw the concern in her eyes.

"Huh?"

"You're r-ramen is getting c-cold." She told him. She saw him look down at his ramen and laugh sheepishly.

"Oh," he laughed sheepishly, "Didn't realize that it was there." Hinata was shocked to say the least. He seemed to have realized what he said and laughed again. "Thanks for telling me, Hinata-chan!" Then he grabbed some chopsticks and started eating. The thing that gave everyone a surprised look on their faces wasn't about what Naruto said, it was about what he was doing. He, Naruto Uzumaki, was eating ramen at a normal pace. When he finished, he turned to Hinata. "Did you eat well Hinata-chan?"

Hinata could only nod dumbly. Hinata has known Naruto all her life, and never in her life had she seen him eat ramen normally or speak very mannerly.

"How about we go walking Hinata-chan, just you and me?" She nodded dumbly again and was dragged out of the ramen bar after Naruto paid for her and his ramen.

Hinata felt like she was in heaven. In the last couple of minutes, she has been able to walk and talk to Naruto. The best thing was that she was able to stop her stuttering, well, sometimes. And then, during their walk, they ended up in some random clearing. Hinata was awed by its beauty. "This place is so natural, so beautiful." She didn't even notice Naruto spacing out again. Hinata went up to the river that was near and took off her shoes. When she did, she dipped her feet into the water. She smiled as she felt the running water massage her feet. She let herself relax and she supported herself with her hands. The setting sun only added to the clearing's beauty in her mind.

"Beautiful…" Hinata looked up at Naruto, her stutter no where to be found.

"Did you say something Naruto-kun?" She thought she heard Naruto say beautiful and then blushed. _(Did he say that to me or this place?)_ She saw Naruto panicking. _(But why?)_

"N-No…"

"Oh." Hinata felt sad. _(So he didn't call me beautiful. I shouldn't be surprised.) _She saw him sit down next to her from the corner of her eye. They stayed like that and talked some more and before they knew it, it was already nine o'clock. "I-I think I should be h-heading home. Father will probably worry if I-I'm out too l-late." Naruto nodded and walked her back home. When they reached the front gate to her home, she turned to him. "Thanks for the ramen Naruto-kun." She said with a smile and a blush. She saw happiness reach Naruto's eyes.

"Anytime Hinata-chan!" Then, she did something he never expected her to do. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. She giggled at his shocked face.

"Goodnight Naruto-kun." She walked up to her house and closed the door as she entered her house. She leaned back on the door and touched her lips. She let a smile reach her lips. She did it! For a small moment, she had the courage to do what she only dreamed she would do. She headed for her room for some more sleep but it would not be a peaceful night for Hinata. She woke up near midnight because of a nightmare she had. She dreamt that Naruto never wanted to speak to her after what she did. Aside the fact that he was holding Sakura lovingly, that was the worst part of the dream. She could feel a couple of tears fall down her cheek. Was her dream telling her something?

Hinata knew after that nightmare she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she decided to go on her nightly walk.

(*.*.*.*)

Hinata sat in the same spot she was in earlier when she was with Naruto. Small ripples could be seen in the water, muffled breathing could be heard coming from the clearing. She heard some rustling coming from the trees behind her but it seemed like she didn't care because she didn't turn to see who it was.

"Hinata-chan?" She heard someone say. She knew by the voice that the person was a guy and that it also sounded familiar, though she didn't care. The man stepped closer and saw her crying. "Hinata-chan, why are you sitting here crying?"

Hinata sniffed, still not caring who this person was, answered. "I do this every night. I came here tonight because I just recently found it." Hinata really wanted to be alone. But the mysterious man still didn't go away instead, he kept asking her questions.

"Why?" he said with a softer voice. Hinata really didn't want to answer any of the man's questions but she couldn't help but answer them.

"Because… I am not loved." She knew that wasn't entirely true but that's how she felt. She heard the man gasped.

"Why not, you're a beautiful lady. Hard to believe you're not loved. What about you're family?" She let a sad smile come to her lips.

"They do love me, though they aren't the reason why I cry every night."

"So who is it that doesn't love you?" The man said curiosity evident in his voice.

"A special boy." He continued his barrage of questions, even though Hinata wished he would stop. It hurt too much to think about how she might never have Naruto.

"What's so special about this boy?" This time, the man's voice held some anger in it. _(Is he mad? Why is he mad? Because I'm hurting? But why would he care, I don't even know him.)_

"He's sweet and also very caring. He lives to protect his friends and always thinks of them before himself. He's so nice for someone with a past like his. He's very strong and very determined. He's what inspires me to be the best I can be."

"So why does he make you cry?" Hinata stayed quiet, clearly not wanting to explain, so he spoke again. "I have a similar problem." He paused, she guess it was to see if she was listening. Though she really shouldn't care, something in her told her to listen. "You see, I have this problem with this girl. She's a kind of girl you find only once in your life." He paused. Hinata, suddenly interested in the stranger's tale, looked up and gasped. He only smirked as he kept going. "This girl… is the girl I like… no love. She is a wonderful girl, one I never thought existed. Through my life, I've never seen a girl as beautiful as her before. She's the girl I want to be by my side at all times, even as I die. I wish I would've told her how much I love her sooner because now I know what I missed out. I now understand that I truly and deeply love her." Light blue orbs lock with lavender moons as the stranger looked down. Hinata felt some anger rise in her. _(Why? Why doesn't he know that he hurts me every time he talks about some other girl?)_

"Stop it Naruto." Hinata said as she looked away. She could feel tears threatening to escape their imprisonment. She knew she was shaking, not from the cold, midnight air, but because she was crying. "Please."

"What do you mean Hinata-chan?" She looked up at him and straight in his eye. She couldn't believe how dense he was.

"Don't! I'm tired of getting my heart broken every time you talk about liking or loving some other girl. Please leave me alone." She stood and ran. But she didn't go far because Naruto came from no where and wrapped her in his arms. When she found out who stopped her she struggled in his grasp. "Let me go!"

"NO!"

"Why not!?" She was too busy struggling that she didn't see him lean in and kiss her. She stopped struggling when she felt his lips. Her mind couldn't comprehend what exactly was happening. Soon, her whole brain shut down which let her instincts take control of her body and she gently kissed back. When they parted, he answered her.

"Because I love you." She looked up at him, puzzled. She didn't believe what he said. Suddenly, the bold Hinata who got angry and yelled at Naruto returned to the shy girl and blushed.

"W-What?"

"I love you, Hinata-chan. I just wish I would've realized that earlier."

Still uncertain she asked, "D-Do… Do you mean it?"

"Yes, I do. I really, truly and deeply love you, Hinata-chan." He leaned in again and gave her a passionate kiss. This time, she kissed back harder.

"I love you too Naruto-kun. Ever since we were in the academy." She said after they parted. She felt him tense up for a second before relaxing and hugging her. Then, out of no where, he laughed. Confused, Hinata looked at him questioningly. He saw her facial expression and explained.

"I sent a shadow clone to Sakura earlier to tell something. You see, after I dropped you home, I saw Sakura. When I said hi to her, she blew up at me, saying that she saw us on our little date earlier and I had to choose between you and her. As you can see, I chose you." Hinata let everything he just said register, blushing at the word date.

"Wait, so why did you laugh?"

He laughed again. "Because she told me I made the right choice and told me all about your little crush on me since the academy, seconds after you told me." She smiled at him as he smiled at her. "Hey, let's sit up there." He pointed to a tree branch as he spoke. Hinata nodded and followed Naruto to the tree. When they reached the branch, Naruto put Hinata on his lap and she laid her back on his chest and her head on his shoulder. _(This is even better than my dreams. I really can't believe he loves me.) _They laid there for hours, not caring of the time or place, just that they had each other. Hinata soon found herself slipping away from consciousness and fell asleep. Not knowing that some one was watching from the distance.

"Way to go Hinata. Come on Akamaru."

(*.*.*.*)

Hinata woke up very cheerful the following morning. She had the best dream she's ever had last night. Then she frowned. She realized it was only a dream. She proceeded to stretch her arms and saw something on her night stand. She reached over to it. It was a note! She opened it up and read.

'_Good morning Hinata-chan! _

_Sorry I couldn't be there to tell you good morning, but I had to go on a mission early._

_Anyways, just wanted to ask if you wanted to go on a date with me when I come back._

_I should be back by six, so how does seven sound?'_

_-I Love you, Naruto…_

Hinata rejoiced, realizing that last night wasn't a dream, it really happened. She got up and took a shower, got dressed and did what she usually did in the morning. By six pm, she spotted Naruto walking into the village. He looked like he was thinking about something. Hinata was planning on waiting until he was completely into the village to tell him yes, but she couldn't help herself. Having no control of her body, she ran up to Naruto and tackled him, causing both of them to fly out of the village. Dust was flying around their landing.

"Yes Naruto-kun, I'd love to go on a date with you!" Hinata hugged him as they both lay on the floor. About a second later, the whole village could hear a loud yell coming from the village's gate.

"YES! SHE SAID YES!"

**

* * *

**

**[Well I decided to be nice and give you people a different point of view of this story and a mini-sequel. Aren't I something else? Ha-ha-ha…  
Anyways, the sequel is actually a songfic I came up with while writing the second version. Enjoy…]**

**Boats and Birds… [Bonus Chapter]**

Hinata sighed as she picked up her guitar. It's been five years since she and Naruto had that date, since he finally made his decision. She was amazed that they've been together for so long. It was midnight and she was in the same clearing where Naruto confessed his love for her. The river still glistened like it did all those years ago. Being there brought back a lot of memories for Hinata. Many of those she treasured. She is currently twenty-one and out of the Hyuga Mansion. She was disinherited as soon as she told her father of her other responsibilities and things that occupied her time. Though he was less than thrilled to do it, it was the only way to make her free from the Hyuga clan.

Hinata just recently came back from a mission while Naruto was on a two month mission and was supposed to return by tomorrow morning. Hinata couldn't help but remember how timid she used to be around him and how oblivious he was of her. She really loves him with every fiber of her being. She sighed once more before starting to play the guitar and looking up at the night sky. All the while not noticing a figure hide in the trees, smiling brightly as she started singing.

If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky,

You can hide underneath me and come out at night,

When I turn jet black and you show off your light,

I live to let you shine; I live to let you shine,

But you can skyrocket away from me,

And never come back if you find another galaxy,

Far from here with more room to fly,

Just leave me your stardust to remember you by,

The figure hiding in the trees came out and hugged Hinata from behind. For some reason, Hinata didn't stop playing even as she was surprised by someone hugging her. When the figure started singing, she recognized his voice. She smiled as she continued to play, this time a little louder.

If you'll be my boat, I'll be your sea,

A depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity,

Ebbing, and flowing, pushed by the breeze,

I live to make you free, I live to make you free,

But you can set-sail to the West if you want to,

And pass the horizon 'til I can't even see you,

Far from here where the beaches are wide,

Just leave me your wake to remember you by,

Hinata let her back rest on the figures chest as he finished. She kept playing, glad and thankful of how her life turned out. The figure leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. No matter how many times he would do that, no matter how many times she prepared for it, she could never stop a blush from appearing on her fair skin. The figured brushed some of her hair away from her face as he continued to kiss her. Still being held by the figure, Hinata began to sing again.

If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky,

You can hide underneath me and come out at night,

When I turn jet black and you show off your light,

I live to let you shine; I live to let you shine,

But you can skyrocket away from me,

And never come back if you find another galaxy,

Far from here where there's more room to fly,

Just leave me your stardust to remember you by,

Stardust to remember you by...

When she finished, she put her guitar down and faced the figure. As soon as she did so, the figure brought his face down to hers and captured her lips affectionately. She kissed back equally as, if not more, affectionately. As they parted, Hinata started directly into his eyes. Lavender moons staring intensively into blue orbs. The figure smiled his fox-like smile as he refused to put some distance between them.

"So you know how to play the guitar huh? When did this happen?" Naruto asked. **[It's painfully obvious it was him. If you didn't know that by now, it's really kind of sad.]**

"About two weeks ago. Kiba is surprisingly a great teacher." Naruto playfully raised an eye-brow.

"Kiba, huh? Something going on between you two?" Hinata lightheartedly hit him in the arm. He rubbed his arm and pretended that it hurt. "Ow. That was uncalled for, ya know." She giggled at his antics.

"No, nothings going on between us. You know I love you." She tore her gaze from his eyes and snuggled into his chest. His smile widened and he kissed the top of her head. His hand then went to her chin and led her to look at him again.

"Yes I do. And you know I love you too, right?" By now, their foreheads were touching and nothing else existed, just them and the love they had for each other. She nodded and he grinned at her and gave her another kiss. This one was more passionate and lasted a lot longer. When they finally parted, their foreheads were still touching, but they still had their eyes closed. He suddenly lifted her up bridal style which in turn, caused her to blush. "Come on, let's go home. Hina and Minato are probably giving their babysitter a hard time." She cuddled closer to his chest. She didn't even realize how tired she was until she was back in her husband's arms again.

"I doubt it. I put them to sleep before I came her, and that was hours ago." Hinata heard Naruto's laughter which promptly confused her. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I'm sure Hina is asleep, but Minato is another story. If you did put him to sleep, I think he would've woken up an hour later. And if I know our son like I think I do, the babysitter is probably already losing his or her sanity by now." Hinata smiled as she realized what Naruto said was true. How they find a willing babysitter to babysit for them is beyond her. She let a soft chuckle escape her lips as they headed home. The rocking motion soothed her until she could feel herself losing consciousness. With one last "I love you" she fell asleep, feeling safe and protected in her husband's arms. He beamed and pulled her closer to kiss her forehead. This caused a genuine smile to grace her lips.

"Goodnight my hime. I love you, too."

* * *

**That was a pretty long thing to write. I spent about an hour or so writing this. I had fun too. ****You see, I told you I was going to write a sequel and here it is…****If it's not as good as the first part, I'm sorry. But I don't need flames to tell me that, just tell me what I did wrong in a positive way.****No one's perfect and I embrace it because I know this is true…****Anyways, yea, that's it. I tried my best to keep them in character, except for the bonus chapter. Their older so who knows how much they'll change. If I kept them in character through out it all, that's very cool. If not… well, I tried…  
Ok, well… please review and tell me what you think…**


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